GTCC's Sean Deniton Named DII Player Of The Week

JAMESTOWN - The National Junior College Athletic Association has named Sean Deniton, a point guard for Guilford Technical Community College's men's basketball team, Division II Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 11-17. Deniton also scored his 1,000th point that same week.

"Sean is one of the top players in the league," said Kirk Chandler, athletics director and head coach of the men's basketball team at GTCC. "He reads the floor really well, and although double-teamed a great deal of the time, he finds lots of different ways to score."

Deniton's scoring average of 22.6 points per game ranks sixth in Division II. He's also among the nation's leaders in assists (6 per game).

During the week of Feb. 11-17, Deniton began with 24 points (10-of-19 shooting from the field) in a 73-46 loss to Rockingham Community College. He returned with 44 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 96-87 defeat against Lenoir Community College, and then ended the week 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a 97-81 loss at Davidson County Community College.

"Sean had three excellent games that week, so I felt like he had a good chance at receiving the honor," Chandler said. "It's certainly a rarity, and no one from our region has received the recognition this year."

When Coach Chandler delivered the news to Deniton that he was named Division II Player of the Week, Deniton said he was "shocked and excited." His ability to shoot the ball well and get to the basket are two of his greatest strengths he brings to the team, he said.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Deniton says his mother introduced him to basketball at the Boys and Girls Club around age 6. The level of teamwork and "being able to work hard at something and have it pay off," kept him committed to the sport.

His love of the game continued through high school where he played basketball at Riverside High School in Durham, N.C. and Christian Faith Center Academy in Creedmor, N.C. A second-year student in general studies, Deniton says he came to GTCC because of its basketball team's reputation and its recent successes.

He plans to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a career in either social work or sports medicine, while continuing to play college basketball.